壬 (rén) is a Chinese character meaning “the ninth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used in the”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 士 (scholar), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “ninth heavenly stem”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
丿 + 士
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: data-pipeline/sources/dictionary.txt modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 strokes
Memory aid
A left-falling stroke (丿) leans across the shoulders of a scholar (士) — the scholar who keeps the calendar and calls out the ninth stem.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 壬午rén wǔrenwu, the 19th year of the sexagenary cycle壬 = rén
- 壬子rén zǐrenzi, the 49th year of the sexagenary cycle壬 = rén
Go deeper
All readings
ninth heavenly stem
the ninth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used in the traditional sexagenary calendar
天干的第九位，用于干支纪年、纪日。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 壬午rén wǔrenwu, the 19th year of the sexagenary cycle壬 = rén
- 壬子rén zǐrenzi, the 49th year of the sexagenary cycle壬 = rén
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 壬 mean?
壬 (rén) means the ninth of the ten Heavenly Stems, used in the traditional sexagenary calendar.
How do you pronounce 壬?
It is pronounced rén.
What parts is 壬 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 士 (scholar), one above the other. The recorded source is: data-pipeline/sources/dictionary.txt modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 strokes. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 壬 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 壬?
士. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 壬?
Common ones are 壬午 and 壬子. The reading of 壬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.